Families once fled my ‘struggletown’ suburb. Then the gentrifiers arrived
Opinion
Richmond

Families once fled my ‘struggletown’ suburb. Then the gentrifiers arrived

I once disembarked the tram at Bridge Road to wafts of Cussons Imperial Leather soap from the factory. But times have well and truly changed.

  • byClaire Heaney

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‘Chap laps’ and Botox:South Yarra’s curated glamour isn’t what it used to be

‘Chap laps’ and Botox:South Yarra’s curated glamour isn’t what it used to be

South Yarra has pretty much everything you’d want in a suburb,but I’m not sure I belong here.

  • byKarl Quinn
Old Willy:The industrial sights and sounds that newcomers will never know

Old Willy:The industrial sights and sounds that newcomers will never know

My sons’ enthusiasm gave me pause to think about my own happy childhood in Willy. But its newfound popularity comes with a dispiriting consequence.

  • byDarren Dawson
Lamborghinis next to old Commodores is the norm in our beachside suburb

Lamborghinis next to old Commodores is the norm in our beachside suburb

Port Melbourne isn’t as affluent as Albert Park or as hip as St Kilda,but it has an honesty that embraces public housing,multimillion-dollar apartments and everything in between.

  • byAlan Reynolds
My suburb lives in the shadows of Highpoint,but its strip shops are fighting back

My suburb lives in the shadows of Highpoint,but its strip shops are fighting back

Despite being home to Melbourne icons the Royal Show,Masterchef studios and the Maribyrnong River,Ascot Vale has a slight identity crisis.

  • bySuzanne Hemming
From underworld hitmen to stolen packages,Scumshine isn’t what it used to be

From underworld hitmen to stolen packages,Scumshine isn’t what it used to be

Sure,we sometimes find an abandoned weapons cache during renovations,but in Sunshine West these days you’re more likely to bump into backyard chickens on the loose than crims and killers.

  • byJakin Ravalico
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My suburb is a wonky Tetris piece where the boundaries make no sense

My suburb is a wonky Tetris piece where the boundaries make no sense

Divided up as if it were the spoils of a suburban turf war,my ’burb’s bigger neighbours of Bentleigh,Carnegie and Caulfield South have claimed their lion’s share of the land.

  • byMarish Mackowiak
Pyjamas as outerwear? Nobody takes any notice in this inner-west wonderland

Pyjamas as outerwear? Nobody takes any notice in this inner-west wonderland

Footscray is a place layered with lore. It’s a multifarious wonderland where the Anglo heteronormative presence is a side dish to what’s really going on.

  • byLily Chan
The suburb where everyone knows your name – and your marital status
Opinion
Opinion

The suburb where everyone knows your name – and your marital status

In this homely pocket of Melbourne,oodle ownership is essential and everyone has a view on the conflict dividing the community.

  • byDarren Levin
For a sullen teen,my suburb was a bore. To a middle-aged woman,it’s paradise
Opinion
Opinion

For a sullen teen,my suburb was a bore. To a middle-aged woman,it’s paradise

Then I hit my 30s and began thinking about buying a home and entombing my own child in the comfortable silence of suburbia. Suddenly,Mount Waverley didn’t seem so bad.

  • byWendy Syfret
This hushed Melbourne suburb is one of old money,but it’s distinctly unfashionable

This hushed Melbourne suburb is one of old money,but it’s distinctly unfashionable

With no schools,pubs or noise,little disturbs the expected peace of this inner-city suburb’s streets – at least until the Barmy Army is in town or Collingwood plays at the MCG.

  • byChristopher Bantick